Chickens have been a core part of the Counter-Strike experience since the days of 1.6, though players never had a real way of interacting with them apart from murdering them on the spot. However, new leaked animations imply we might soon be able to pick up and inspect chickens.
The animations were shared by data miners on X (formerly Twitter) on May 24. They include three entirely new animations apparently meant to be seen from the first-person perspective, and given how they move, it is as if the chicken is being inspected by an invisible pair of hands. The chick is seemingly picked up and rocked from side to side while its little head remains fixated on the player. These animations are currently inactive, though based on how detailed they are, “chicken inspection” could be just around the corner.
A video of the inspect animation in action was also shared by content creator PoPw0w, which gives us a look at what it might look like in-game. While this isn’t a confirmed addition yet, it would certainly be a hilarious add-on for CS2. The competitive viability of stopping mid-gunfight to pick up a chicken isn’t exactly clear, however.
Of course, if chickens were to receive a full inspection feature, players also wonder if Valve would add chicken customization. We’ve seen chickens wear party hats and Christmas gear during seasonal events, so the possibility of chicken skins can’t be dismissed easily. Just imagine the possibilities—thousands of dollars for a skin that changes your chicken’s appearance.
Maybe, Valve could give us a way of throwing the chickens at other players—preferably our enemies—to score some of the wildest kills or kill feeds in gaming history. Whatever the developers have in mind with this feature, it’s bound to be beyond hilarious once it lands in the game.
When exactly that will be is anyone’s guess. Valve appears to be hard at work making various improvements to CS2‘s maps and map pool. Most recently, they revamped Vertigo’s A site to be more open and easier to defend since the map was previously a Rush A simulator that wasn’t too fun.
In the meantime, however, catch me dreaming about landing a sick Premier clutch and then inspecting the nearest chicken I can find—if I can get my hands on one.
